Knowledge Is Not Power

It’s What You Do With That Knowledge, That’s What Really Counts

That’s right. Knowledge is not power. Nope. This is one of the biggest lies out there. Try this instead: “It is the implementation of knowledge that is the real power”. You see it isn’t what you know that matters, it’s what you do that counts. Knowledge alone won’t fix a thing. It’s what you do with that knowledge; that’s what will make the difference.

Tell me, how many business books have you read recently and then pragmatically put the contents into practice? That said the majority of ‘business’ books are often full of theoretical rubbish, written by people who have never actually run a business before. But that aside, how much of what you’ve read have you actually implemented?

I do appreciate that we’ve all been guilty at times of not acting on advice. However, people will come up with all manner of excuses to avoid applying some strategy or tactic, and therefore to avoid failing. Often it’s because we don’t want to upset the status quo: it is the fear of failure, perceived or otherwise, that keeps us from moving forward.

However, it is action that makes the difference. Even action that leads you in the wrong direction is a start. You’ll learn nothing standing still.

The key then is to act on the knowledge you’ve gained and, well, try something. Put your promotional materials together (using the principles taught in this book) and start marketing!

I’ve seen it time and again: you put in the time, effort and money attending seminars, buying courses, listening to CDs, and then, you become so swamped with information you literally don’t know where to start.

Here’s another reason I often get for not acting on suggestions or advice: a lack of time. In fact, clients will often express the same frustration i.e. not having enough time to work on their business!

How do we create more time? How can you get more than 24 hours out of the day? You can’t. (There’s some honesty for you!) Unfortunately, you can’t do everything, so don’t fight this one. Instead be ruthless with your time, utterly ruthless and literally take yourself ‘out of the business’. This will give you two very important and vital things, breathing space and thinking time.

When you’re caught up in the workings of your business, you can never truly see the opportunities or act on them. When you’re fighting fire, you can never see the wider picture, because you’re always focusing on the immediate need. You must remove yourself from the business.

Put three hours aside a week (and I’m being very conservative here!). Three hours a week is equal to:

180 minutes a week = 720 minutes a month = 8,640 minutes a year.

8,640 minutes spent working on your business will give you the kind of successes that at the moment you can only dream about.

For example starting today, what three areas could you start to develop that will help you promote the business further? What marketing strategy could you plan, develop and start in the next 60 minutes?

Here are some more suggestions to help you get started (literally):

Start Small, Really Small

If you are having a hard time getting started, it may be because you’re thinking too big. Sometimes we make long lists of areas we need to work on, then feel overwhelmed and so it only becomes a recipe for paralysis. Take small, modest steps to get yourself started and that should help you get past your apprehension and fear.

Build On Small Successes

Make each step really, really small, and you won’t fail. After a couple of months, these tiny steps will add up to a lot of progress and a lot of success. Sometimes we take on too much, too soon and bail out at the first sign of failure.

Find Inspiration

Stick With It

Whatever you do, don’t give up. Even if you aren’t feeling any motivation today, or this week, don’t give up.Look back at those moments when you were motivated: what was your approach? What was it about that particular experience that worked? How can you then incorporate some of these tactics into your current situation?

I can’t impress upon you enough, the importance of taking action. Knowledge is not power, but it is the implementation of knowledge that is the real power.

Author Bio: Andrew Ludlam is the owner of Maverick Marketing Consultancy, and is recognised as an expert on advanced marketing strategy and tactics. As a marketing consultant, trainer, copywriter he has advised many hundreds of business owners one-to-one, and many more have attended his private training programmes. Andrew also publishes a fortnightly newsletter which has some 2,000 subscribers. Andrew has recently published ‘Maverick Marketing’, a very practical, no-nonsense guide to business growth, for more details please visit Maverick Marketing Consultancy.

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